Words: 837
Mohammed in Mecca and Medina Mohammed had very different experiences in Mecca at the beginning of the Islamic religion than he did in Medina. The people in Mecca reacted very harshly to Mohammed’s preaching. His converts were slow and limited to certain people. While in Medina, after he left Mecca with his people, he was more accepted by the Medinians. He was needed by the people in Medina to bring peace and some form of law. At the beginning of the Islamic religion when Mohammed was trying to preach and gain followers in Mecca, the resistance to him was strong by the rich merchants.
They did not want him to be around because they were afraid that his teachings would interfere with the flow of the many gods in Mecca and trade. At the time, Mecca was a city of forty thousand people, it was the center of trade. Islam was against all other religions and gods that were being worshipped in Mecca. Most of the converts were old people, sick, and his family. The men against Mohammed feared that he would ruin the peace and society of the area. Mohammed was protected by his uncle, Abu Talib, who was the leader of the Hashimite Klan.
No one was able to touch him while Abu Talib was alive. To force Mohammed and his followers away the other leading people in Mecca imposed and economic boycott on Mohammed and anyone who associated with him. The conditions for Mohammed and his people were becoming too severe. They were being met with open opposition in the streets, the Muslims were being beaten in the streets. Abu Talib dies and his brother, Abu Lahab, is left in charge of the Hashimite Klan. Abu Lahab hates Mohammed which puts more pressure on him because he no longer has anyone to help protect him in Mecca.
He is forced to find a way for the Muslims to get out safely. In Medina at the time there was no peace or control. When they heard of Mohammed and what was happening to him there. They offered to let him come and live there in exchange for help in bringing peace. He told his followers to go to Medina first so they would be safe from the Meccans, then he left at night, so he could escape being killed. While in Medina he shows how influential, smart and powerful he could be. In Medina, he forms sets up leaders for the people to follow to maintain peace.
He creates laws and finally help Medina achieve what it had been trying to for so long. Many people in Medina also begin to convert to Islam. The Medians, known as the ansars, helped to give shelter to Mohammed and his followers, but Mohammed realizes that he and the Muslims must find a means to live on their own. He decides to begin raining the trade caravans that were going to Mecca. His attack, called the battle of Badr, was very successful against the Meccans and showed he was gaining power. This caused and up rise in Mecca and Abu Sufyan sent three thousand men to avenge for what had happened.
The Battle of Uhud was not as successful, but not devastating. The Meccans were unable to completely diminish the Muslims like they had wanted. After the first battle they just left and declared victory. The armies would meet again at the Battle of the Trench. Mohammed had a force of three thousand men, while the Meccans has ten thousand. The battle went on for several weeks. The Meccans were not familiar with the new form of fighting and left in shame. The prestige of the Meccans had been destroyed and Mohammed decides it is time for him and his people to go home to Mecca.
When he arrives with his army and the Muslims, the Meccans do not want to fight and they make a deal with Mohammed so that he could come back in peace in a few months. They make this agreement peacefully. Things stayed peaceful for a while but many did Muslims did not agree with it. They wanted Mecca to be there home. Not just a place they were allowed to travel to once a year. In 630, Muhammad marched on Mecca with an enormous force, numbering more than ten thousand men. With little casualties, Muhammad was able to easily take control of Mecca.
Most Meccans converted to Islam, and Muhammad destroyed all of the statues of the other gods in and around the Kaaba. Mohammed in the beginning in Mecca received much opposition to the Muslim religion but it only proved to last a little while. Mohammed’s immigration to Medina allowed him to gain more followers and control. He was eventually able to conquer and take over Mecca and many of the men who originally opposed him even converted. After Mohammed’s takeover of Mecca the converts grew very much.